Sr. Director - AI Product Development & Product Excellence Transformation (Needham)

About Us SharkNinja is a global product design and technology company, with a diversified portfolio of 5-star rated lifestyle solutions that positively impact people’s lives in homes around the world. Powered by two trusted, global brands, Shark and Ninja, the company has a proven track record of bringing disruptive innovation to market and developing one consumer product after another has allowed SharkNinja to enter multiple product categories, driving significant growth and market share gains. Headquartered in Needham, Massachusetts with more than 4,100 associates, the company’s products are sold at key retailers, online and offline, and through distributors around the world. AI at SharkNinja At SharkNinja, we’re building an AI-native culture. We’re not waiting for the future; we’re creating it. Our people are expected to experiment boldly, adopt new tools, and continuously raise what’s possible to create meaningful impact for our consumers. If you believe the best way to do your job hasn’t been invented yet, you’ll fit right in.Sr. Director - AI Product Development & Product Excellence TransformationLocation: Boston, MA preferred; New York, NY acceptable (On-site)Reports to: VP, Chief of Staff to the CEODotted Line: Chief Product Officer and EVP, Product ExcellenceDirect Reports: AI Transformation Team (AI Fellows)The RoleThis is a high-impact leadership role at the intersection of AI, product development, product quality, and organizational transformation. You will own the strategy and execution of AI integration across both SharkNinja's Product Development (PD) and Product Excellence (PE) organizations -- spanning the full product lifecycle from category strategy and conception through launch, and extending into consumer insights, product integrity, process quality, and manufacturing engineering.Today, much of this work relies on PowerPoint-based program management, fragmented data, manual analysis, and institutional knowledge trapped in people's heads. You will change that. You will build the data foundation, deploy AI capabilities, and transform workflows so that SharkNinja develops products faster, smarter, and with higher quality at every stage.This role carries a dual mandate: drive the current portfolio of AI initiatives to measurable completion, and partner directly with PD and PE leadership to shape what comes next. You are not here to deliver a fixed list of projects. You are here to build the AI capability that transforms how these organizations work -- today and in the future. You report directly to the VP, Chief of Staff to the CEO, with a dotted line to both the Chief Product Officer and the EVP of Product Excellence.What You Will DoData Foundation & InfrastructureArchitect and implement a unified data infrastructure across PD and PE, resolving the fragmented, siloed data landscape that is the #1 bottleneck to AI adoptionMap data assets across both organizations (historical product development data, conception decks, sprint timelines, EV/PV outcomes, test results, FMEAs, lessons learned, consumer feedback, return data, quality metrics) and build the ingestion pipelines that make this data usable by AI systemsPartner with IT and data engineering to connect PD and PE data infrastructure to the enterprise data architecture (Snowflake, AWS)Product Development TransformationDefine and execute the AI transformation roadmap across the full PD lifecycle, while continuously identifying new AI opportunities with PD leadership as capabilities evolveLead the reimagination of program management infrastructure, replacing manual, PowerPoint-based workflows with AI-powered tooling that enables real-time product status visibility, automated accountability, and permission-based dashboardsDeploy AI-powered planning intelligence by ingesting historical product development data to improve forecasting accuracy and reduce late-stage surprisesProduct Excellence TransformationTransform consumer insights capabilities -- 5-star rating prediction, high rate of sale forecasting, voice-of-consumer analysis at scale -- and partner with PE leadership to define what the next generation of AI-powered quality looks likeReimagine product integrity workflows by making lessons learned, test results, and FMEAs accessible through AI, so past product knowledge automatically informs future product developmentStrengthen PE's contribution to PRDs by building AI systems that surface relevant historical data (prior test failures, consumer complaints, quality patterns) during the requirements processTeam Building & Change ManagementBuild, lead, and scale a team of AI Fellows embedded directly into PD and PE teams to drive hands-on AI adoptionDrive change management across large, global workforces with varying levels of AI fluency, with particular focus on director-level and below adoptionTranslate complex AI capabilities into practical, adoptable solutions that product managers, program managers, quality engineers, and cross-functional teams actually useEstablish success metrics, track adoption, and report measurable outcomes to executive leadershipChampion a culture of experimentation: fast iteration, learning from failure, and scaling what worksWho You AreRequired10+ years of professional experience in AI/ML, product development leadership, program management, data architecture, quality/product excellence, or technology transformation rolesStrong technical fluency in AI/ML and data infrastructure: you can evaluate tools, assess platforms, understand data pipelines, and hold your own in technical discussions with engineers, data scientists, and product teamsProven track record leading large-scale transformation or change management initiatives, ideally in product development, R&D, or consumer products environmentsDeep understanding of product development lifecycles in a hardware or consumer electronics context, including stage-gate processes, EV/PV builds, and cross-functional launch executionProven ability to both build (hands-on implementation) and think strategically -- not just one or the otherStrong business acumen: you connect technical capabilities to business outcomes and communicate that connection to non-technical stakeholdersExceptional leadership skills: you attract talent, build high-performing teams, and influence without authority across a matrixed organizationDecisive and action-oriented: you make decisions with imperfect information, move fast, and course-correct without hesitationComfortable operating in ambiguity and a high-velocity environment where priorities shift and speed matters more than perfectionStrongly PreferredExperience at an AI-native company or within a product organization where AI was core to the development processBackground bridging technical build teams and business stakeholders, with the ability to translate requirements in both directionsExperience productionalizing AI prototypes (moving from proof-of-concept to enterprise-grade tools with proper back-end infrastructure)Familiarity with quality engineering concepts: FMEAs, DVF, reliability testing, voice-of-consumer analysis, return rate analyticsAdditional RequirementsTravel required (domestic and international, including China manufacturing sites)On-site at Boston HQ or New York office full-timeWhy This Role MattersSharkNinja's CEO has made AI transformation a top company priority. This role sits at the center of a company-wide movement to fundamentally change how SharkNinja conceives, plans, builds, launches, and ensures the quality of its products. You will have direct visibility and support from the highest levels of the organization.SharkNinja's product organizations are entering a pivotal chapter: new category expansion, a connected device ecosystem, and a global portfolio that demands faster, smarter execution with higher quality at every stage. You will be in the trenches with product teams, building the data foundation, proving what works, scaling it, and making AI an irreversible part of how this company develops and delivers best-in-class products.Salary and Other Compensation: The annual salary range for this position is displayed below. Factors which may affect starting pay within this range may include geography/market, skills, education, experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate. The Company offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements: medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts (HSA) with company contribution, 401(k) retirement plan with matching, employee stock purchase program, life insurance, AD&D, short-term disability insurance, long-term disability insurance, generous paid time off, company holidays, parental leave, identity theft protection, pet insurance, pre-paid legal insurance, back-up child and eldercare days, product discounts, referral bonus program, and more. Pay Range$225,000—$275,000 USDOur CultureAt SharkNinja, we don’t just raise the bar—we push past it every single day. Our Outrageously Extraordinary mindset drives us to tackle the impossible, push boundaries, and deliver results that others only dream of. If you thrive on breaking out of your swim lane, you’ll be right at home.What We OfferWe offer competitive health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, employee stock purchase options, wellness programs, SharkNinja product discounts, and more. We empower your personal and professional growth with high impact Learning Programs featuring bold voices redefining what’s possible. When you join, you’re not just part of a company—you’re part of an outrageously extraordinary community. Together, we won’t just launch products—we’ll disrupt entire markets. At SharkNinja, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are vital to our global success. Valuing each unique voice and blending all of our diverse skills strengthens SharkNinja’s inno